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Sunday, August 19, 2018

Report on the Drum Jam for Seniors at Puttenahalli Lake

The Drum jam organised by Silver Talkies at the lake on Saturday, 18th August was more than just a group of senior citizens learning the pleasure of a percussion instrument. It was also about the spirit and vitality of the young at heart participants.

Mr Ashirwad who led the session, invited Mr Padmanabh Arkalgud to blow the bugle and set the ball rolling. He then gave a short introduction to the djembe, a goblet drum from West Africa. While it can produce a large variety of sounds, he stuck to a few easy ones that everyone as beginners could handle. Rather than each of the 21 seniors introducing themselves, he got them to say it through beats on the djembe. Everybody followed each "name" with gusto if not with accuracy.

The next round had Mr. Ashirwad's son, Arnav, keeping time on the drums and individuals singing, reciting, even rapping. The octogenarian rapper Mr Arun Bhatia, in fact, stole the show with his snappy lines. With everyone getting lost in the drumming, it was but natural that some, men and women, should take to the floor and let their feet move with the beats. It was a spontaneous, yet graceful garba in the gazebo led by Mrs Harini Dubey, who learned garba in her 40s and won prizes as a dancer. Too soon, unfortunately, the music ended and it was time to wrap up.

Hats off to Silver Talkies for a special programme. Thanks to this drum jam, we got to meet several distinguished individuals - from a former ambassador of India to China (among other countries); an avid blogger and author who'd just completed a two year project on his alma mater; a theatre person. It was a humbling experience to see them so unassuming, not letting their achievements or age come in their way. They and indeed, every participant, proved at this drum jam that “It does not matter how long you live, but how well you do it.” (Martin Luther King Jr.)